At their industry panel at Sakura-Con, Aniplex of America announced that the highly anticipated PERSONA5 the Animation will be premiering this spring on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The series is an anime adaptation of best-selling JRPG, Persona 5, by game developer, ATLUS, first released in Japan in 2016 and subsequently worldwide in 2017. Set in modern Tokyo, “PERSONA5 the Animation” chronicles the adventures of an eclectic group of teenagers who call themselves the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts.” Together with their metaphysical manifestations known as their Personas, the group seeks to solve crimes by reforming the source of corruption within people’s hearts. The popularity of the series showed no sign of waning with a subtitled trailer posted on the Aniplex of America YouTube page quickly gaining over a quarter million views in less than 3 weeks. “PERSONA5 the Animation” premieres April 7^th only on Crunchyroll and Hulu, with new episodes streaming every Saturday.

Key creators of the original game reunite for the highly anticipated series, including sound composer Shoji Meguro providing the stylized and jazz-themed soundtrack, Katsura Hashino credited for the Original Concept, and ATLUS’s own Shigenori Soejima providing the series’ Original Character Design. Critically acclaimed animation studio A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Blue Exorcist) will produce the series with Director Masashi Ishihama (ERASED, Your lie in April) bringing the game to the TV screen. The series also features an all-star voice cast who also voiced the game, including super star voice actor Jun Fukuyama (DURARARA!!, Blue Exorcist, WAGNARIA!!) as protagonist Ren Amamiya, Mamoru Miyano (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, DURARARA!!) as Ryuji Sakamoto, Nana Mizuki (Blast of Tempest, VALVRAVE the Liberator, WWW.WAGNARIA!!) as Ann Takamaki, Tomokazu Sugita (The irregular at magic high school, The Asterisk War, March comes in like a lion) as Yusuke Kitagawa, and Ikue Otani, the legendary voice of Pikachu, as Morgana.

Check out the character details below

• Ren Amamiya (Jun Fukuyama) – A second-year high school student, who just moved to Tokyo and is transferring to Shujin Academy this spring. Following a particular incident, Ren’s Persona awakens. He finds lodging at a coffee shop on the outskirts through his parents’ connections, and is about to begin his student life in the city.
• Ryuji Sakamoto (Mamoru Miyano) – A second-year high school student at Shujin Academy. Though he is compassionate and fiery, he is labeled a problem child and avoided at school due to his outwardly rude behavior.
• Ann Takamaki (Nana Mizuki) – A second-year high school student at Shujin Academy and a beautiful quarter-American girl. Although she has an innocent and honest personality, she has a hard time fitting in due to her conspicuous looks and spends most of her time in solitude. Because of that, she deeply values her one and only friend at school.
• Morgana (Ikue Otani) – A strange, cat-like creature full of mystery. After being saved from a Palace by Ren, who had initially wandered into the Metaverse, it decides to live under the same roof with him. Despite its tendency to hurl insults, it is a very devoted friend.
• Yusuke Kitagawa (Tomokazu Sugita) – An honor student in the fine arts department at Kosei High School. He attracts more than a few stares with his handsome look, but exudes an air of eccentricity. After his mother’s death when he was young, he has lived with and trained under an esteemed Japanese artist, owing to his own creative talent.

Here are the official plot details, courtesy of Aniplex:

Ren Amamiya is about to enter his second year after transferring to Shujin Academy in Tokyo.

Following a particular incident, his Persona awakens, and together with his friends they form the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” to reform hearts of corrupt adults by stealing the source of their distorted desires.

Meanwhile, bizarre and inexplicable crimes have been popping up one after another…

Living an ordinary high school life in Tokyo during the day, the group maneuvers the metropolitan city as Phantom Thieves after hours.

Let the curtain rise for this grand, picaresque story!

Are you looking forward to the series adaptation of Persona 5?

Source: Aniplex